Beyond the Horizon | Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Part Seven - I Ain't Worried

"Good afternoon, aviators," Maverick says as he walks into the classroom, Hondo following behind. We all nod and mumble "good afternoon" back. Today's schedule seemed to be much less intensive as it had been on the past two days. Of course, we were told nothing in particular about today's activities, since that was the purpose of our briefings, but we were made aware that today was going to be relatively stress free.  

"What we'll be doing today will be much different than what we've done before. I figured a change of pace might be nice. Today, we'll be focusing on team work. It's clear to me that team work is something this group struggles with. The only way we can complete this mission in the safest and most effective way is to work together as one. With that being said, I've arranged for us to have a beach day and play a game." Excitement buzzes the room. Despite all of us loving being in the air, having time on ground was much appreciated. I look across the aisle to Phoenix who is wearing a look that was somewhere between excitement and worry of what Maverick had in mind.

"You can all change out of your flight suits. I trust you all know how to find the Hard Deck bar. The beach in front of that bar is where we'll be meeting," with that, Maverick and Hondo promptly leave the classroom. 

"Well, this has got to be interesting," Hangman says sarcastically as he walks out of the classroom, Coyote hot on his tail. 

Phoenix looked at me with a face that said 'well, let's go.'

Despite being in the Navy, I had never done anything like this before, that is, being ordered to go play a game on the beach. Seeing as how we hadn't been made aware of any particular dress code, I assume it's fine to wear whatever we'd be comfortable in. I opt to don a pair of short athletic shorts, an old shirt from Top Gun, and sandals. I throw my hair up in a loose ponytail, put on my aviator sunglasses, and head out the door. 

Rather than taking a car, I chose to walk to the Hard Deck. It was an enjoyable walk along the oceanside, the sunrays warming my already-tanned skin. By the time I found the group, Phoenix, Bob, Rooster, Maverick, Hondo, and Fanboy were already there. In Maverick's hands were two neon foam footballs. A smile poked at my face in eagerness.

"Glad to see you found us, Dice," Maverick smiles at me. "We'll wait for the last bunch to come, then we'll go through the rules of the game."

"Copy that," I say back. Beside Maverick, who stands across from me, is Rooster. There's an awkward space between the two. Rooster doesn't dare look in the direction of the older man. Upon looking at Rooster, I catch his gaze trailing my body. Not quite the master of subtly, Lieutenant Bradshaw. Butterflies fill my stomach. He has somehow already managed to be shirtless, a white t-shirt thrown over his shoulder, wearing blue jean shorts and his aviators. When his eyeline matches mine, I smirk at him as if to say "caught ya". Instantly turning red, he turns his head away as he clears his throat. 

Behind me, I hear the booming voices of Hangman, Coyote, Payback, and a few others finding their way to our group. They too, have already found a way to be shirtless. I roll my eyes and chuckle a bit as I watch the men walk towards us, stiff as a board. They must have been flexing so hard that walking was no longer an easy task. I redirect my attention back to Maverick as he begins to explain the rules.

"Alright. The game is dogfight football. Both teams will be playing both offense and defense at the same time. I'll join one of the teams, and Hondo will be the ref. Each touchdown will count as one point. Full tackling is allowed, just be safe. The team with the most points by the end wins. Let's split you up into teams, skins and shirts." Maverick rushes through the rules and basics of the game before he begins to group us off into teams. 

The shirts team (most of whom, ended up without shirts anyways) consists of Bob, Coyote, Fanboy, Hangman, and Rooster. The skins team consists of Harvard, Phoenix, Maverick, Payback, and myself. As we begin to line up along the line of scrimmage to start the game, the five of us on the shirts team pull off our shirts and leave them on the sidelines.